Beyond naive belief Book

"The Tenth Commandment probes our mind and heart, where all sin begins, and forbids injustice in willful desire and intention. It forbids coveting what belongs to another, and rules out greed and avarice arising from an excessive desire for wealth and power (see Catechism, #2536)." Page 269

"We are to regard our lawful possessions not merely as our own, but also as common property in the sense that they can be of benefit also to others. All the children of God are obliged to come to the relief of the poor (see Catechism, #2443) Page 266

"What I may not do - in fact, cannot do - is judge the internal morality of anyone's actions but my own." Page 253

These are just a few examples of how aligned my personal values and beliefs are with the teachings of the Catholic Church. I do not see how a person can truly internalize these teachings of Jesus and still vote for individuals who wish to continue us down this horrible path and want things to go back the way they were before. After reading this book and being finally confirmed in the Catholic faith, I am more convinced than ever that Jesus was, indeed, a liberal.

I also would like to address the successful way that this book dealt with touchy subjects regarding Catholicism, especially how the faith is viewed and depicted by Protestants and other people outside the faith. Other faiths were not demonized at all, but the errors in perception were gently corrected. Especially beautiful is the chapter on Mary and how the Catholic community holds her in reverence (Chapter 26).

I am very glad my RCIA class assigned this book, as I probably would not have read it otherwise.